Topic Maps are being embraced by a wide number of organistions throughout the world. Companies and individuals have realised how the power of Topic Maps can help them solve their information problem. However, in order to make the vision a reality there must be software that supports the Topic Map paradigm. This paper presents a look at Topic Map technology, asking questions about what it should, could and does do. It presents the cutting edge of Topic Map development. This paper does not focus on one Topic Map technology, rather it identifies key functionality drivers such as Topic authoring, Topic Map merging and illustrates the ways different technologies have tackled these problems. This paper dives under the hood and looks at some of the implementation issues of building Topic Map technology, issues in this area are things such as the object model design, exposed interfaces, Topic Map storage and searching.
The other key aspect of this presentation is the analysis of how different Topic Map technologies are being, or could be used, in the construction of information systems. This analysis will provide a template for the construction of other Topic Map systems and provides real world scenarios of the technologies in use.